BT: Social Media Safety for Parents - Featuring Alyssa Bach, Shulman & Partners

Alyssa Bach, an Associate Lawyer at Shulman & Partners LLP, joined Breakfast Television to unpack a growing co-parenting challenge: children and social media. With platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and Discord shaping how kids communicate, disagreements can become more intense when parents are separated or divorced. The segment focused on what happens when parents are not aligned on whether a child should have social media at all, what safeguards matter most, and how these conflicts connect to decision-making and the child’s best interests in Ontario. It also highlighted practical realities many families face, including evolving online trends and the risk that kids may create burner accounts when rules feel unclear or inconsistent.

“I think the biggest issue is the communication between parents and not being on the same page about their child being on social media at all.”
— Alyssa Bach, Associate Lawyer, Shulman & Partners LLP

During the Breakfast Television discussion, Alyssa explained that disputes about kids and social media are less about any single app and more about parents not sharing the same expectations. When parents are together, they may disagree but can often manage it in the same household. When parents are separated or divorced, those disagreements can quickly turn into conflict because each parent may enforce different rules, and the child may receive mixed messages about what is allowed.

Alyssa noted that, legally, these disagreements are typically treated as a decision-making issue. While social media is not always categorized under the major heads of decision-making in parenting arrangements, the analysis still points back to the child’s best interests, including safety concerns and practical risks. She also highlighted that many platforms have age restrictions, and conflict can escalate if one parent allows a child to use an app below the recommended age.

A key takeaway from the segment was timing. Alyssa recommended addressing social media expectations early, before it becomes a crisis point. For separating parents, that can mean building it into a parenting plan during negotiations, either with specific terms about social media or with an agreed process for handling new issues as they arise. The goal is to avoid trying to solve a high-emotion problem in the heat of the moment.

The conversation also touched on modern realities: kids may use different platforms depending on what their peers are doing, and parents may feel they are choosing between safety and social connection. The hosts raised the idea of burner accounts, where a child maintains a hidden profile alongside an approved one. Alyssa's response focused on prevention through education and communication. She emphasized having ongoing conversations with children about protecting personal information and understanding what it means to post something online.

Even when parents cannot monitor everything, consistent guidance and a respectful, open dialogue can reduce risk and make it more likely that a child will come forward if something goes wrong.